PHYTOGEOGRAPHICAL PROBLEMS IN SVALBARD 



101 



Archipelago is concomitant with the occurrence of the plants mentioned 

 from Bear Island. Southwest Spitsbergen and Bear Island are now separated 

 only be a rather shallow sea with depths between 10 and 100 m. The plants 

 may be regarded either as southern remnants of a previously continuous 

 Arctic vegetation, or as northern outposts of a flora connected with the 

 Scandinavian mainland. 



About half of the Svalbard plants are more or less ubiquitous species and 

 are distributed over the greater part of the Archipelago. But there are about 

 35 species with a more limited distribution, confined mostly to the inner 

 fjord districts, especially between Van Mijenfjord and Isfjord, including the 

 innermost branches of Wijdefjord on the island of West Spitsbergen (Fig. 1). 

 In this area are distributed the greater part of the most interesting plants 



15° 



20° 



80° 



79° 



30° 



^. 



^^ 



78° 



L 



20° 



25° 



Fig. 1. Areas in Spitsbergen with an especially rich occurrence of plants. Dot 

 indicates locality with hot springs. Bear Island is not indicated on the map. 



within the flora of Svalbard, e.g. Arctagrostis latifolia, Hierochloe alpina, 

 Eriophorum triste, Kobresia simpliciuscula, Juncus arcticus, J. castaneus, 

 Luzula wahlenbergii, Potentilla crantzii, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Cassiope 

 hypnoides, Polemoniiim boreale. Campanula imiflora, etc. 



The concentration of plants in these areas is due not only to better 

 ecological conditions. Suitable substrata and climate no doubt exist also in 



H 



